Steroids have some degree of clinical relevance in HIV pathogenesis since (a) infected patients frequently show altered plasma cortisol levels and (b) steroids are used in the treatment of certain AIDS-associated opportunistic infections. A recently mapped glucocorticoid receptor binding site has been tested for function in transient expression assays. The preliminary results from these studies, which are similar to observations reported by other researchers, suggest that this binding site is a weak but complex regulatory element.